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Regional associations are operated on and promote the principles of good practice – for admission, financial aid, and athletics. They provide a common forum and the ongoing support necessary for collaboration among and across schools. 

The most effective associations:  

• Help streamline the application process by reaching and maintaining agreements on common testing, notification and reply dates. Written agreements are signed by both the head and the admission director. 
• Develop common application packets and help to ensure that all families have the same information, as well as common non-discrimination statements. 
• Participate in high-quality, lower-cost professional development programming focused on persistent independent school issues such as financial aid, marketing, etc. Split the costs of guest speakers. 
• Promote awareness of independent schools. Conduct joint marketing efforts, sharing the costs of advertising in various print and media outlets. Can also agree not to advertise in publications that misrepresent the school(s).
• Save resources by taking part in joint business office ventures using the same vendors and splitting the costs. 
• Conduct school fairs and coordinate across all interested schools. Spread the word about independent schools and help to ensure that all schools achieve maximum enrollment. 
• Coordinate open house dates. 
• Offer joint financial aid information sessions for families. 
• Meet face-to-face during the year to develop and/or renew working relationships. 
• Ensure collaboration with Catholic schools and other K-12 schools. 
• Can convene heads, helping to keep them updated on a range of important trends and tensions. 
• Support collaboration between and among business officers/offices. 
• Broker arrangements for starting dates for admission campaigns.
• Serve as clearinghouses to help with faculty recruitment.
• Can help arrange group travel and ensure cost savings.
• Develop and implement innovations.
• Have guidelines to ensure members’ adherence to the spirit and the letter of agreements, but focus directly on the promotion of peer-to-peer accountability. 
• Maintain common web sites, although this service has been fraught with tensions.

RELATED RESOURCES  

Bay Area Admission Directors Principles of Good Practice and Athletic Recruiting Guidelines

The Independent School Fair for People of Color was created by four Seattle area directors of admission in 2006. These women of color saw a need to expose, enlighten and engage families of color in a discussion about the options, opportunities, and resources available at area independent schools. It is the result of good collaboration and is a very successful event.

The Independent Schools Admission Association of Dallas engage in joint advertising, have common testing arrangements and common decision dates, conduct a combined Private School Fair that attracts schools from all over the city and all over the country, and has a common application.  

Expert Advice: Choosing a Private School . Interview with Debbie Lange. KNOWAtlanta (Fall 2007). 

Tribes by Seth Godin (2008) is a quick-read resource on how to get people to work together. 

In a competitive Philadelphia independent school admission market, three single sex schools have banded together to market the value of single gender and independent schools simultaneously. 

Regional Group Websites  

http://www.houstonprivateschools.org/
http://www.aaais.org/
http://triangleprivateschools.org/
http://www.hais.org/
http://www.isaagny.org/
http://www.advis.org/
http://www.tenschools.org/